Syrian Crackdown Results in 750 Deaths

According to a human rights watch group, at least 750 people have perished so far in demonstrations, protests and unrest in Syria over the past seven weeks due to the violent reaction of government forces to the demonstrators.

Obama Close to Demanding Assad’s Ouster

Officials in the Obama administration are coming closer to calling for the resignation of President Bashar Assad of Syria, saying that his recent responses to his people’s demands have proven that he has abdicated his right to rule the country.

Such a statement from the United States would represent a serious shift from former declarations which had condemned Assad’s brutal crackdown, but still fell short of declaring Assad’s reign illegitimate and calling for his leaving the presidency.

House to House Search for Dissidents

Tanks can be seen within the villages of southern Syria, the central location of the anti-government protests. Activists of the uprising have stated that the regime has essentially isolated several areas of the country.

The government’s crackdown has proceeded by the closing off of certain areas of Syria and doing house-by-house raids in search of men and women whose names appear on lists of wanted activists. Many people have been forced to flee as a result of the searches, for fear of being arrested by the government of Assad.